YOUTH EMPOWERMENT TRAINING PROGRAMME

 Youth Empowerment and capacity building programs aims to teach life skills including personal, social, mental and spiritual development. Youth networks and organizations including stakeholders are involved in bringing in their wealth of knowledge and experiences. Targeted clients are basically school drop outs and the unemployed including disadvantaged youths.

Empowerment of youths meant the creation of innovative and supportive environment where they can choose, act and implement on their own behalf and on their own terms, without the discretion of others. There are various enabling scenarios whereby youths can be empowered, through a economic and social base, political will, adequate resource allocation and supportive legal/ administrative frameworks, stable environment for equality, peace, information sharing, employable skills and a positive social/ personal value system.

The learning environment of young people extends beyond the boundaries of classrooms. Most are lost in the practical hands – on world of employment, being unable to apply their abstract theoretical knowledge gained from educational institutions. They need opportunities and a medium of transit from the abstract to the practicalities of real living. Thus empowerment and capacity building provides young people an avenue to gain practical information and learning for improved livelihoods.

Empowerment and capacity building is in line with the people's charter for change, peace and progress:

We aspire for FIJI to be a knowledge-based society, where all people have access to educational and continuous learning. We must retain and use our individual and collective knowledge and skills to develop our country, to achieve its real potential to be a prosperous and well governed country.
We affirm that the ultimate test of our civility as a people is what we do, individually and collectively. To empower and uplift the lives of all the citizens in our country, including what we do to protect and enhance the interests and aspirations of women, youth and the vulnerable and the disadvantaged sections of our communities.
To enhance the social, mental, economical, physical and spiritual development of youths that have left the education system early, including the youths at risk through community based and non –formal educational approaches in rural and urban precincts. To assist youth club leaders to build capacities for youth development and advancement. To assist in areas that will increase contribution of youths to nation building and prosperity, economic independence and reduced unemployment. To also work towards an educated and skill based workforce, good governance, peace building and instilling positive values into society.